Communications Lead, Workplace Services

Job summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost- effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.

To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity to join the corporate Marketing and Communications team at the Government Property Agency (GPA) as a dedicated Communications Lead for the Workplace Services directorate. This directorate is responsible for the government’s office portfolio, encompassing hard and soft facilities management (FM), health and safety, assurance, digital portfolio, Client Relationship management and workplace experience.

As the subject matter expert for Workplace Services within the central communications team, you will bridge the gap between corporate strategy and directorate-specific delivery. You will be the primary point of contact for the directorate, managing day-to-day BAU communications, including building incidents, service updates, and reactive issues, as well as Workplace Services team engagement comms. While the overarching strategy is set centrally, you will be responsible for creating and delivering the tactical communication plans to achieve it. This role requires a proactive self-starter who can switch between tasks quickly and effectively in a heavily reactive environment.

This is a new role in the team which offers you an exciting opportunity to shape the communications and engagement for the Directorate.

Key Responsibilities

Business partnering: Act as a primary communications point of contact for the Workplace Services directorate, working closely with Marketing and Communications colleagues to handle requests effectively. Be a subject matter expert for the directorate within the corporate Marketing and Communications team.

Supply chain engagement: Establish a communication framework to ensure the performance partners and supply chain remain aligned with GPA messaging standards.

Reactive and incident comms: Play a key role in managing incident communications by liaising with relevant stakeholders in the Directorate to draft reactive and incident communications, supported by the Head of Media or Head of Marketing and Digital where relevant, while also supporting post-incident and recovery activity. Design a process to ensure effective handling of incident communications, and create templates for initial announcements and periodic updates to impacted stakeholders.

Plan delivery: Develop and execute comprehensive, objective-led communication plans that are underpinned by the Workplace Services Communications Strategy.

Brand guardian: As part of the corporate Marketing and Communications team, you will be responsible for ensuring our brand is effectively applied to all marketing and communications activity within the Directorate.

Content creation: Produce compelling, high-quality content for various channels, including service updates, planned work notices, blogs, and newsletters.

Stakeholder management: Build and maintain relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders, including the supply chain, civil servants and cross-government specialists.

Standardisation and quality control: Establish and manage a standardised process for all directorate-facing communications, ensuring 100% compliance with mandatory approval workflows and templates.

Event management: Plan and manage directorate-specific events, such as supplier engagement days and client briefings, from concept to delivery. Support the corporate communications team to deliver GPA-wide events, playing a key role in programme development and event delivery.

Person specification

• You have extensive experience in a communications role, specifically within Facilities Management (FM), Property, or a large-scale infrastructure environment.
• You have a proven track record of working in reactive or incident communications roles where you were responsible for managing messaging during service outages or building incidents.
• You are comfortable working in a matrix structure, reporting to a central functional lead while being embedded as a subject matter expert within a technical delivery team.
• You have experience acting as a trusted advisor to senior leaders (G7 to SCS level) and technical specialists, demonstrating the ability to translate complex service issues into clear, simple messaging.
• You are a solutions-focused individual capable of working autonomously with minimal supervision.
• You take pride in ensuring that every communication-related activity is accurate, brand-compliant, and timely.
• You are naturally service-focused, always viewing communications through the lens of the client and customer experience to support driving behaviour change and enhancing trust.
• You can effectively build relationships across a diverse supply chain and internal teams to create a strong network.

Experience & Technical Skills

Essential criteria:

Desirable criteria:

• Design: A good level of design skills within Adobe creative products.
• Content planning: Experience managing a content grid of multiple channels and audiences to ensure consistent activity.
• Government Communication Service: Experience working within a government communications role, delivering to government standards and requirements.
• Accessibility: A good understanding of accessible communications to deliver inclusive products